The present invention relates to a new and improved construction of apparatus for damping the forward and return or recoil motion of an automatic firing weapon, comprising a gun or weapon mount, a weapon housing and a weapon barrel, wherein movement of the weapon housing with respect to a stationary weapon mount is dampened by an annular spring, which annular spring is arranged in a damping mechanism externally of the weapon housing.
According to a known apparatus of this type only the weapon housing is displaceable relative to the weapon or gun mount. With such apparatus the weapon barrel is rigidly secured to the weapon housing.